Shrivelfigs & Garden Rakes: A Hufflepuff Adventure
by Riva R. Roderica
Summary: Ernie and Hannah around the time when Harry and Ron sneak out to go and visit Aragog.


Shrivelfigs & Garden Rakes: A Hufflepuff Adventure  
by Riva Day Roderica  
  
Author's Note: You may want to read page 268 -269 in book #2 before reading this story, although it is not necessary.   
  
  
"What do you think they're up to?" Hannah asked Ernie after a Herbology class spent pruning Shrivelfigs with the  
Gryffindors. After Ernie had apologized for accusing Harry of being the heir of Slytherin, Ernie, Hannah, Ron and  
Harry had discussed the opening of the Chamber of Secrets. But the conversation had taken a weird turn, with  
Harry being just a bit too sure that the heir wasn't Malfoy, and something about following spiders…  
  
Ernie replied "I don't know, but one thing I do know is that I distinctly heard the words "invisibility cloak."  
  
Hannah said "I don't think anything we heard was a dream back there, Ernie."  
  
Ernie steered Hannah away from the main group. "Look," he said. "I've realized that I'm particularly bad at mysterious  
stuff. Remember all of those false accusations I've made?"  
  
Hannah solemnly nodded. "You just didn't want anybody to get hurt."  
  
Ernie continued with, "But I think I'm right about this. Potter and Weasley are up to something. What I want to know  
is what. Never mind, I think I know what. What I want to know is why."  
  
"Why they are sneaking off to the forest with Hagrid's dog under an invisibility cloak just to follow some spiders."  
Hannah laid down the facts. "And they're doing it tonight."  
  
"We've got to do something!" Ernie urged.   
  
Hannah, in awe of Harry's well-known escapades asked, "Are you suggesting that we…" She gulped. "Follow them?"  
  
Hannah and Ernie both looked back at Harry and Ron, who were lagging behind the others.   
  
"No" he finally said. "Maybe we should stop them."  
  
_______________________  
  
Hannah didn't argue as they were now in their next class. It wasn't hard to escape the attention of Professor Binns,  
and for once Hannah was glad that History class occupied such a miniscule part of her brain.   
  
As she left, she heard Binns asking Filch where his post for tonight would be. "Right wing, third floor, with one of the  
Ravenclaw prefects," Filch replied. "Any more questions and I'll be guarding the entrance hall."  
  
________________________  
  
That night, sitting on yellow cushions and leaning against an abandoned couch, Ernie and Hannah conspired. Hannah   
told Ernie what she had heard Filch say. Ernie thought this was all for the best, as Harry would then find it hard to   
get out of the castle with Filch blocking his way. Hannah, however, asked him a few disturbing questions.   
  
"What if," she pestered, "Harry and Ron are going to do something that can be accomplished only by them.  
What if.." she paused and opened her eyes wide. "Ernie, they are going to stop the attacks! If we stop them... if   
anybody stops them..." her voice trailed off in horror.   
  
"Then the attacks continue and more people get hurt." Ernie finished. "But how can we be sure that that is what  
they are going to do?"  
  
"Ron hates spiders." Hannah replied lamely. "He would only go out of his way to meet them to save other people's lives."  
  
"But they could be hurt!" Ernie argued.   
  
"They're going to do it sooner or later, whatever it is, even if they are just sneaking off for no reason. They could   
have us get them in trouble, or we could not get them in trouble. Either way, the same thing happens." Hannah   
pointed out.  
  
"So we can just do nothing," Ernie suggested.  
  
"I'm afraid not," Hannah said.  
  
Ernie looked at her, eyes filled with amazement. "You're crazy," he said softly.   
"So are you," she replied, laughing.   
  
_________________________  
  
  
That night Ernie and Hannah slipped out of their common room.  
  
"I still can't believe that we're doing this" Ernie whispered.  
  
"Shh!" hissed a very frightened Hannah.   
  
The lobby in front of their common room was deserted. A pair of Hufflepuff prefects were walking down one of the   
hallways leading into it. Seeing this, Hannah grabbed Ernie by the arm and they pattered to the staircase, where, in order to avoid  
the creaky steps, they slid down the banister . An ungraceful Ernie landed with an "oof" on the floor, Hannah  
following shortly after.   
  
After struggling to their feet, Ernie and Hannah hurried to a narrow hallway blocked by a large plant. They squeezed   
past it and breathed a sigh of relief as the escaped onto the balcany above the entrance hall. Ernie took something   
out of his pocket and began unwinding the string that was wrapped around it. As the two Hufflepuffs lay on the   
floor to avoid detection, he slowly let the object down over the railing. Hannah managed to get a glimpse of Filch as   
the object grazed his head.  
  
Filch turned around abruptly, saw the garden rake hanging from a piece of string, and let out a river of curses that   
were strangely echoed in the dark hall. Filch swung at it wildly as Ernie slowly slithered away from the main doors.   
As a child teasing a cat with a ball of string, Filch unknowingly followed the trap. Suddenly, he grabbed the wildly   
dancing garden rake and pulled with all his might. Hannah gasped as Ernie was painfully pressed against the bars of  
the railing. She pulled Ernie back by the feet. All three stayed that way for several moments. It could have been 5   
minutes, but it felt like half an hour. Hannah's muscles were cramping and she didn't know if she would be able to   
hold on for much longer. Ernie, holding on to the magical string that refused to break, had an even harder job.   
Down below, now in an alclove designed to hold hats, Filch swung, pendulum-like, about 5 feet off of the ground.  
  
Ernie grimaced in pain. He was going to drop it. He knew he was going to drop it. Clenching his teeth, he thought this   
over and over again, but he never did actually let go. Filch fell asleep. Hannah started to cry silently from pain.   
  
"That should do it," said a voice from behind them. Both children gasped and let go abruptly. A crash and a break  
in the snores followed. Mrs. Norris let out a yowl. Filch started to curse. Ernie and Hannah got up and stretched,   
only to collapse to the floor again. They looked towards the voice and gasped as the figure came into view.   
  
"D...D...D...Dumbledore?" Ernie stammered.  
  
Dumbledore took off his glasses and tapped them with his wand, saying "clean-o-roma" He looked at them and  
said "Ah yes, Ernie and Hannah. Thought it was you."  
  
"How long have you been here?" asked Hannah, wiping her cheeks.   
  
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Long enough to hear Filch's rather succicent vocabulary usage," he replied.  
  
"But... how did you know?" asked a rather confused Ernie.  
  
"The Hufflepuff portrait told me two students had gone off." Dumbledore answered. Abruptly, his tone changed  
and he briskly chirped "Well it's off to bed for the two of you now."  
  
Somehow, Ernie and Hannah found themselves in their common room, where they wearily parted to dream strange dreams.   
  
____________________  
THE END   
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